First Comes The One Who Wanders (36 page)

Other than the young men on the road in divisions, the sight of able-bodied men became scarcer the farther south she moved into the province of the Land crafters. True to their word, the demon-like men she’d learned were called gaunts weren’t letting any man who could fight stay behind.

Twice, she’d had to seek shelter from winter storms. The trees looked like skeletons standing guard, in their winter nakedness. The Drakmoth Mountains loomed through the spindly branches. Each night, she studied her maps. Each night she studied the prophecies she’d heard and tried to find the solution to the puzzle presented in her book. Every night she dreamed of Joshuas and Erion, of Brenth and her mother. Every morning she woke lonely and alone.

Days turned into weeks. The weather cleared as she neared the Southern Plains. Her dreams told her Joshuas and Erion had crossed the mountains near Menas and had stayed because they were needed. They too, had realized she had to do this alone.

When she reached the road that led through the mountains to Montshade on the other side, she hesitated and then continued south. It would take longer, but she wouldn’t have to cross the mountains alone.

"Besides," she justified her decision to herself. "Duke Cheran lives in the Southern Plains. I can see how he's preparing for war."

As the sun was setting the next day, she approached the first large city she’d encountered on this road. A bath and hot dinner sounded wonderful. Lifting her hood over her head, she approached the gates of Barat.

"What business?" the guard blocked the gate.

"I’m passing through to the Southern Plains. I have business there. I was looking for some dinner."

"What sort of crafter are you? Your insignia isn’t clear." The guard didn’t move from his spot. Leilas was beginning to worry. She didn’t need trouble.

"I’m a wanderer, from the North." She hoped that would satisfy him. The guard still hesitated, his hand drifting toward his sword. Leilas climbed off her horse and walked close to him. "You don’t really want to try to keep a crafter from accomplishing his mission do you?"

The guard scowled at the threat, his hand grasping the hilt of his sword. Leilas swept back her cloak, and reached for her axe. Perhaps a bath had been a bad idea. The guard bared his teeth in a savage smile, but let his hand drop from the hilt of his weapon. "The city is closed to strangers. We’ve had enough of your kind."

Leilas let her hand fall away from her axe and led her horse away from the gates. Another night outdoors wouldn’t hurt her, but stepping inside that city might. Turning to look back, she saw the guard standing in front of the gate defensively, sword still drawn and crossed over his chest. Barat definitely didn’t seem like a good place for her health. The road led to a small encampment, where others had obviously spent the night after the guard had turned them away. It seemed she wasn’t the only one being barred from entering the city.

It amazed her how quickly things had changed once the balance had been upset. Already people distrusted people and those who were once friendly now carried staffs and knives. Factions had started breaking off and causing trouble. People seemed loyal only to themselves or at least only to their city. She’d seen the people transform a little more with each day that passed.

She unpacked the horses and rubbed them down. Feeding them their allotment of oats, she tied them with enough rope so they could graze. Finding a sheltered spot back a bit from the road, she built a pit, gathered wood and started a fire. She’d been hoping to restock her supplies in Barrat, but she could make do with what she had until she reached Barroon if she was careful with her food. Contenting herself with hard tack and tea, she leaned back against the rock and tried to get some rest.

The horses whinnying brought her instantly awake. It was early evening. The moon cast its light softly on the road. Leilas could see a lone crafter approaching her camp. She stayed sitting, but readied herself for an attack.

"Well met, crafter," said the stranger, dressed in crafter garb, with the Sea crest on his cloak. "I see you were turned away from the gate, as well." The comely young man reminded her of Master Ren Narwhal with his dark hair and dark skin. He appeared to be carrying no weapon except his hunting knife.

"They apparently have had some trouble," said Leilas in the deep, husky voice that had become second nature.

"Do you mind?" the stranger indicated the log and Leilas shrugged. Sitting down, the stranger sighed in satisfaction. "I've been walking all day. It feels good to sit."

"Are you hungry?" asked Leilas, wondering where his pack and water skin were. "I don’t have much, but you’re welcome to it." She rummaged through her goods and found the last of the bread and cheese she’d bought in the last town. The stranger took it gratefully and began to eat.

"I am Cephom Sylvan," he introduced himself.

"Leilan," replied Leilas, giving her modified name. She'd cut her hair shorter and passed as a young man everywhere she’d been.

"Leilan." The sea crafter smiled as he said the name. For a moment, Leilas thought he’d seen through her disguise. "Thank you for dinner. I haven’t eaten all day. Where are you headed?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

"The Southern Plains," replied Leilas.

"I have some business near there as well," said Cephom. "If you have no other traveling companion, I'd be honored to share the road with you."

Leilas hesitated a moment at the request. She wasn’t sure she could keep up her disguise with someone traveling with her. Cephom misread her concern. "I'd be no threat to you, Leilan. And two are always better than one alone."

"It's true, two are better. It's my business, I fear, that will put you in danger."

"In that case I must insist on going with you. I can be of great help in times of trouble." Leilas didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing. It seemed she had a new traveling companion.

She used the last of her supplies on breakfast. She’d planned to eat only once a day and make town on the third. Now, they would have to make do with what they could find or go hungry.

Separating the gear into two packs, she placed one on each horse. Then letting Cephom have her mount, she slipped onto the pack horse bareback. Unlike Joshuas and Erion, Cephom talked constantly as they traveled. It had been some time since Leilas had to deal with so much conversation. Perhaps it was good that Cephom didn’t seem to notice that she didn’t contribute much to the dialog.

"The sea is a wonder," said Cephom as they rode. "I have spent my life near the sea or on the sea," he smiled at the thought. "There are the most wonderful creatures in the sea. The leviathan that was created by Sylph himself, sea dragons, green, red, black, all roam the waters from the tip of Solea to the waters past the Outer Reaches. Then there are the seals, dolphins and whales. Have you ever heard the noise that the seals make when they are together on the rocks? Leilas shook her head. She had never been anywhere close to the sea. "It's quite an amazing experience. If you're gifted, you can hear them talking to the sailors on the shore, asking for food or telling them to get away from their meeting place. The dolphins are friendlier. They're curious about humans and often come close to boats and the shore to see what they're doing."

"The sea elves tend to them," continued Cephom. "They are good to them. In return, the dolphins and the seals help the sea elves when they have need of help."

"I had heard there were different clans of elves. I've only met one elf, he is a forest elf. What do the elves of the sea look like?" asked Leilas.

"They're much the same as the forest elves," replied Cephom, "except for the hair. Forest elves have hair the color of the moonlight. Sea elves have hair that resembles mother-of-pearl. It shimmers in the sunlight, appearing to have many different colors, depending on where you are standing."

"I'd like to meet a sea elf one day," said Leilas, knowing that the chances she ever would were slim.

"They have little to do with humans or crafters," replied Cephom. "Not since the Crafter Wars."

"I'm beginning to learn that the Crafter Wars did a great deal of damage to Preterlandis."

"They tore the land apart," agreed Cephom. "Though perhaps they were necessary. The dark crafters had become a threat to Preterlandis. If they'd been allowed to continue unchecked, the damage to the balance would have been unrepairable."

"You say that as if you know that as truth. No one can really know what would have happened if there had been no war."

"It seemed clear to those of us who were watching what was happening to the balance," replied Cephom.

"I'll have to take your word for that. I'm too young to know."

"Yes, Leilan, you're very young to be on such an important journey."

"What do you know of my journey?" Leilas’ senses went on alert, too late, she thought to herself.

"Only what you've told me. You said you had important business in the South. These are dangerous times to be sending young crafters on journeys, unless they are important."

Leilas relaxed. She'd forgotten she’d told Cephom she was on an important mission. The long, lonely weeks had taken their toll. She was beginning to suspect everyone.

"What do you think of Greyan’s Treaty?" asked Leilas, remembering the discussion in the council tower.

"It served its purpose," replied Cephom, the smile disappearing from his face for the first time. "It also took its toll on Preterlandis. It made the crafters complacent and they didn’t keep an eye on the balance, as they should have."

"But there were crafters, such as you, who were watching and knew what was happening. Why didn’t you, or those like you, tell the leaders what they were seeing?"

"The leaders were told, Leilan. They chose to ignore the warnings, because they didn’t see the signs in their mists, or because they were tired of war, or because they didn’t want to enter another war."

"Yet here they are, on the brink of another war."

"A war beyond any they have seen before," said Cephom.

Leilas had to wonder how he knew so much about what was happening in Solea. No one had ever mentioned a crafter named Cephom Sylvan. He wasn’t a frequent visitor to the school. She would have remembered him had he visited the school in the past. She knew there were many crafters she’d never met who wandered Solea, or who were stationed in the towns and villages of Solea. Most of them never had a reason to visit Dirth. It might have been better if some of them, like Cephom, had made the journey to the council to tell them what they knew.

"Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that," replied Leilas.

Cephom fell silent for a while, letting the subject of war drop.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Cephom picked up the conversation as if they'd never digressed into the subject of war.

"The ships that traverse the seas, ahh, you've never seen the like. Brightly colored vessels, with sails that billow in the wind. The ships lean into the wind, leaving trails of water and foam. The dolphins love to play in the wake. Then there are the port cities, where I'm headed. The ships, the docks, the noise of cargo being loaded and unloaded. The vendors on the docks, selling the wares that have just arrived. The smell of the food they're selling wafting on the breeze. There is always a breeze near the sea. The waves break on the shore. They never cease breaking on the shore. It's a sight to behold."

Leilas was captivated by the pictures he was painting and let him regale her with his tales while they rode. She’d never been to sea or to the lands across the sea. Crogmanland lay across the sea in the north, Sylphia to the south. Cephom was going as far as Barroon then turning toward the sea. For a brief moment, Leilas wished she could travel with him to a land she’d never seen. But duty pulled her in a different direction.

As the sun began to set, Leilas found a spot to camp for the night. She’d left enough time to do a bit of hunting. She hoped she could find something. Leaving Cephom to unpack, build the fire and find water, Leilas went in search of food. An hour later, she returned with a rabbit and a tunic full of wild onions and turnips. Cephom had the camp in tiptop shape. Taking the food from her, he made quick work of preparing the food.

"I was beginning to wonder if we were going to get to eat," he remarked, as he gnawed contentedly on a bone. "You didn’t bother mentioning you gave me the last of your food this morning."

"I figured we could find something," replied Leilas, wrapping the uneaten meat in leaves and packing it away. She’d already set aside some of the vegetables.

"Yes, the Creator does provide," agreed Cephom.

Leilas wished she could be as certain as her companion was of that, but said nothing. Throwing her pack down as a back rest, she settled in for the night, a cup of warm creekgrass tea in her hand and the blanket over her feet. Cephom rested against the saddle and softly began to sing.

By the sea, where the sea creatures play,

Pillars tall, where few dare to travel,

Those who came, honored Sylph with tokens,

From the creatures that were his alone.

From his creation will come one piece.

In the land where fire reigns, lay fields of rock and glass.

Glass of darkness, glass of fire, homage to the crafter Crog.